March 2, 2018

A national baseball and softball indoor training business is opening in north Sioux Falls.

D-Bat Sioux Falls offers batting and pitching cage rentals by the half-hour and one-on-one lessons, camps and clinics. There’s also a pro shop that sells equipment and clothing.

Franchise owner Kurt Zabel, who coaches the high school and American Legion baseball teams in Tea, discovered D-Bat through social media. It was founded in Texas in 1998.

“I decided to look into it, and the next thing I knew I was on a plane to Dallas,” he said. “This is something this area really needs.”

Accessibility sets D-Bat apart from other facilities, Zabel said. The 14,600-square-foot center at 1300 E. Benson Road is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday.

“We will always have staff here, and players, whether they’re children or adults, can come when it fits their schedule.”

In addition to Zabel, the center is staffed with a general manager, assistant manager and two instructors. He’s looking for softball instructors and plans to add part-time staff to help at the front desk.

D-Bat features 10 cages in a space that won’t make players feel cramped, Zabel said. One cage is “pretty much a full-distance” pitching length and includes a pitcher’s mound. The training center’s three pitching machines throw actual baseballs and softballs.

Teams can rent the space for practice. Some of the nets for the cages can be rolled back to create a 3,400-square-foot turf area, Zabel said.

Memberships, which aren’t required, provide discounts, free use of pitching machines and access to D-Bat facilities nationwide.

Zabel also has the franchise rights for Omaha and Fargo, and he said they’re part of a long-term plan.

“They’re growing like wildfire,” he said of D-Bat. “It’s expected to more than double its franchises quickly. It will be over 100 within two years.”

Athletes are invited to a grand-opening from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.